Monday, June 22, 2009

Morning Glory Petal Bread - Blue Morning Glories for Blue Monday



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found this sport of a Heavenly Blue Morning Glory in the far green house of an obscure nursery that Bob and I found when we moved to Oregon. The twice retired giant who runs the place won't sell it to me. It was his mother's favorite flower, so each year he captures seeds to propagate and produce vines worthy of her memory. This edgy man now shuffles with stooped shoulders as he goes about his tasks. He's a decorated combat veteran who returned home to raise a family and mind the family business. Age took his wife and mother. Combat took his son. His gardens still remain. I've been privileged to see them. The trellis in the garden behind the house is smothered by artfully twisted, climbing vines overlain with the heavenly blue flowers I so want to be mine. Protected by a willow planted the year his boy was born and engulfed in the fragrance of the rose hedge his wife tended, we have our coffee and repeat the game we've played for years. I ask for seeds I know I won't receive, but learn more each year about this gentle man and his passion for this quiet spot and the land that he has turned. Some folks buy headstones, he propagates flowers and tends the earth. I suspect his family would love the monument he's created for them.




One of life's simple pleasures is morning coffee in the garden. It's made sweeter still with a crusty baguette or sweet pastry. Morning Glory Petal Bread is perfect for breakfast in the garden. It's a wonderful flower shaped confection whose petals are sugar dipped biscuits that are pulled apart for eating. It's assembled rather than made and it's one of my secret weapons for company breakfast or brunch. The recipe first appeared as Orange Marmalade Coffee Cake in the 1999 Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. I urge you to play with this recipe until you're comfortable with amount of fat and sugar you are using. I've altered the original recipe to use a soft spread that tastes like butter. I also reduced the amount of marmalade used in its preparation. As to sugar, I've used a combination of golden brown and granulated sugar but have not cut back on the original measurement. My changes to the base recipe appear in red. I urge you to try this when you need a special dish for breakfast or brunch. It takes 5 minutes to assemble and its absolutely delicious.

Morning Glory Petal Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 to 2/3 cup sweet orange marmalade
2 tablespoons (or more to taste) chopped walnuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 (approximately 12 ounce) cans of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup melted soft spread (i.e. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)

Directions:
1) Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-inch Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
2) Spread marmalade in bottom of Bundt pan. Sprinkle with walnuts.
3) Melt soft spread and place in a small bowl. Combine sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl. Separate biscuits, dip each into soft spread, dredge in cinnamon-sugar and place, standing up, evenly around the edges of Bundt pan. Drizzle any remaining soft spread over biscuits and sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4) Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is a deep golden brown. Cool on a pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a platter and serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.

I'm send this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

It will also go to Color Outside the Lines for Share A Garden Sunday.

56 comments :

candy said...

Somehow came across your blog as Ive been blog hopping :) Thought Id say Hi :)
:)
candy

Mary Bergfeld said...

Candy, thanks for stopping by. I hope your having a good day. Blessings...Mary

Katy ~ said...

Mary, what a thoroughly touching post. And that morning glory is gorgeous! What a dear old soul that man is. And what a legacy he is leaving.

The morning glory petal bread sounds scrumptious!

Heather S-G said...

I love morning glories, Mary!! And your bread looks delightful, as well :)

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

I really hope you can obtain those seeds one day. Could you bribe him with lots and lots of cake and cookies and......get the idea?

Haden News said...

I really enjoyed your story....Life really is about the simple things. I want to make your bread next weekend and drink my coffee in the garden. Thanks

Haden News said...

Loved your story.... Your bread looks wonderful, I plan on making it next weekend and enjoying it in my garden with a cup of coffee!!

theUngourmet said...

Gorgeous Photo of the Morning Glories! The bread is wonderful. I love the name and the orange marmalade in there!

niartist said...

Oh Mary - they're beautiful, and this is such a lovely blog. Thank you for coming over to participate in Share a Garden Sunday! I love the food, and I'm gonna be spending plenty of time here looking through your recipes! :)

Anonymous said...

That was a nice story. This man really knows how to hold on to sentiments and memories. I love that part. The work he must have carefully pun into. I guess this has been his source of sanctuary.

Hhhmmmma petal bread - you always create deliciously looking food, whatever it may be. Oh not only "looking" but the taste it accompanies must really be something.

Martha said...

Mary -- what a wonderful story-- my great great grandmother died during The Depression -- her headstone is a tree and some wonderful iris. Most of her descendants have some in their garden.

Your recipe as usual sounds wonderful.

Sandra said...

What a beautiful Morning Glory. :)
As for the bread, oh it looks delish! :)
Blessings,
Sandra

Boo-Bah AKA Iris said...

I love Morning Glories and this one is really a beautiful shade of blue. The story of the man is so sweet and really quite touching. I would rather have flowers than a headstone.

The bread sounds delicious.

Iris

Printersdevil said...

The flower is gorgeous and the bread sound wonderful.

LV said...

You have joined a wonderful post. You will be glad you stopped by Sally's. as she always has the neatest things.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Loved reading this. That man is a dear.

And the bread sounds divine. Thanks for sharing with us, Mary!

Happy Blue Monday...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Deb in Hawaii said...

Beautiful flowers and such beautiful bread too! It looks so delicious.

Maria Berg said...

I am so happy for him that he still have his garden. And I understand that he will not give the seed or the plants away.

The Melon drink I have to do one today, MB

Irene said...

Thank you for your sharing of the lovely blue petal Morning Glory and recipe

Susan Hickam said...

i adore morning glories and have only been successful once with them. I loved your story-great writing- and the bread sounds fantastic. I'm going to have to bake something soon!

bj said...

This is very close to Monkey Bread except for the use of the marmalade. It sounds just delicious. Think I'll take a piece "to go"!!
I also have a cake on my Blue Monday post..come by and have a slice!
xo bj

Hootin Anni said...

Delicious bread, I'm sure, Mary!!! But those blue morning glories....wow. Around her on the coast, blue flowers are NOT seen anywhere. I think possibly that maybe it has a lot to do with temps. They need cooler nights maybe, I don't know. But I've tried seeds, bulbs and such to get blue flowers in my yard, to no avail. Maybe I should try putting seed in a pot!!!! I never thought of that.

ChrisC said...

The morning glories are beautiful!And the bread looks delish.Gonna try it this coming weekend.

SmilingSally said...

That morning glory photo is one to be cherished. I'd like to see it framed. Thanks for sharing. Happy Blue Monday.

Gee said...

Beautiful picture of morning glory. Thanks for sharing it with us. Happy Blue Monday.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Beautiful morning glories! Happy Blue Monday.

Blessings,
Sandi

Lisa said...

Southern Living recipes are always worth taking seriously. I have a few standbys that started there too. Your bread looks beautiful! And thanks for the inspirational storytelling.

Unknown said...

What a bittersweet story!
But I don't understand that he wouldn't give you at least a few of the seeds?

I took seeds from blue morning glories last year.
The ones I grew are almost all pink, only a few very dark blue ones.
Strange.

Southern Lady said...

Mary, I enjoyed the sweet story about the man and his Morning Glories. I hope he will surprise you someday with some seeds.

Your Petal Bread made my mouth water. It looks delicious.

~~louise~~ said...

What a beautiful story, Mary. My grandmother grew Blue Morning Glories and Four-O'Clocks in her window box in the projects of Manhattan when I was a young girl. Ever since then I have had a soft spot for them. I grew some last year and saved the seeds. I won't know how they are doing until I get back to PA. Oh, I hope they are alright. I would be happy to share some seeds with you if they withstood these rains. I don't know if they are the same ones but their yours if I have them and you want them.

I adore the thought of Morning Glory Petal Bread. It sounds heavenly:) Thanks for sharing...

Lindsay-ann said...

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I have enjoyed visiting yours. I love the beautiful blue morning glory you shared. The Petal Bread sounds & looks delicious. I would love to try that sometime.
Happy Blue Monday.
Lindsay

Lakeshore Cottage Living said...

Mary,

Thank you so much for the comment regarding the anonymous poster on my blog. It really meant a lot coming from someone who is in my shoes. I totally agree with everything you posted.

On another note...the morning glories in that picture are spectacular and I really loved the man's story behind it. I have grown some in my garden in years past, but I have to plant them every year....they don't seem to want to come back. I try to soak the seeds overnight before I plant them (I think we have gotten the seeds at Wal-Mart) and then stick them in the ground the next day. They are faithful and grow easily. They like to climb all over the front porch rails. I usually wait until mid summer to plant them and then have something to look forward to in the fall...they make a beautiful contrast with orange pumpkins!

Thank you again. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Kristine

Knitty said...

What a nice story. Yummy looking coffee cake!

ellen b. said...

The morning glory is so pretty and the bread looks very yummy. What a sweet story about the owner of the garden..

Anonymous said...

My goodness that looks yummy. I like Morning Glories. I remember we had some in our yard when I was about 8 or 9 years old. They impressed me.
Happy Blue Monday.
Charlotte

Becky K. said...

Mmmm-yum! That bread looks good!

We are attempting to grow morning glories for the first time this year. Here's hoping!!!

The photo you captured is awesome!

The Blonde Duck said...

I love your stories. And I love this bread.

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

What a fantastic and sentimental story about the Morning Glory.

Your bread looks fantastic as always!

Maria Berg said...

You wrote....you take photographs with an artists eye,

Thank you very much!
Maria Berg

Mary @Boogieboard Cottage said...

Thsnk you for letting me know about the link. Your morning glory is beautiful! :O)

Anonymous said...

What a sweet post, thanks for sharing!

Happy Monday!!

Anonymous said...

Yes its a wonderful hybrid of a heavenly blue morning glory isn't it? The blue is reminiscent of sky and bluebirds, and I too would covet such a beauty. The old guy sounds like a character from a novel filled with beauty and sorrowful tales of life and loves lost. I am going to make your version of the morning glory petal bread when my family arrives in a few weeks and I will recount the story of the elusive vine. I would not be able to take one perfect bite without thinking of this gentle old man's story.

Shellbelle said...

What a wonderfully sweet story! I used to have one of those half barrels with a trellis in which I planted Morning Glory seeds along with Moon Flower seeds. When the Morning Glory blossoms would close for the day the Moon Flowers opened and in the morning I would wake to find the Morning Glories back.

Puna said...

I have made a version of these but had to make my own dough. This looks really easy so I'm going to try this!

Susan said...

Mary- the morning glories are so beautiful. My fingers are crossed and Im hoping and praying that mine grow and look like that!

The bread you made is so yummy looking. I know that bread as Monkey Bread and I saw it made on TV this afternoon and thought I should make it...now that I see yours - I know I should make it!
Wish I was close Id stop in for coffee ...Have a wonderful Blue Monday!

Lori said...

Very beautiful story and flowers. What a tribute to his family. And this bread, well, it looks heavenly.. I love the thought of sitting in the garden and having this with coffee.

Anonymous said...

Oh man...that looks so awesome, I just wanna reach into the screen and drag a huge piece out! Sticky and sweet and chewy, just the way I love it!
Beautiful pics, and awesome story, Mary!

Unknown said...

Thanks for visiting my Shabby Cottage on PINK Saturday! I just love your blog - this sweet bread looks wonderful. Warm wishes for a great week, Esther

Anonymous said...

I loved reading the story about the man and his flowers. The morning glory is quite beautiful. You can see he put a lot of love into his plant. Your recipe looks delicious. I copied that one and the one in the previous post. Thank you so much. Happy Blue Monday....

Lynn said...

What a beautiful story! It touched my heart.
Beautifully written.

La Bella Cooks said...

Morning glories are just lovely and definitely one of my favorites. I could easily get used to this bread for breakfast in the garden!

My Little Space said...

Lovely sweet bread ! I like to listen to real life stories. So, this is the story behind that gentleman.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Our lives are so enriched my such "games" and people as this man. Looks like an incredible fun time you've had massaging this recipe.
I love morning glories and you photo there is really fabulous!

Soma said...

This is as beautiful as the name. & a very touching post.

Terry said...

Howdy
Well I am late coming by to visit ,but Happy Belated Blue Monday to you :)
Thank you for sharing such a loving tribute to an awesome man.
Those blue morning glories are fabulous.
Thank you for the great recipe to go along with all the rest of this very moving post.
Blessings of joy to you .
Happy Trails
Hugs

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